CITYWIDE— A GROUP OF CLERGY SIGNED A LETTER urging City Council Speaker Julie Menin to pass a bill that advocates say would safeguard renter protections and give homeowners in distressed areas leverage on their property rights, according to a press release from Actum LLC, a global public strategy company.
The group, which includes at least four signers from Brooklyn, urges passage of Intro. 879-2026, which would amend Local Law 18 to protect and expand renter protections that allow homeowners to rent their homes while they work or travel but who still reside there. It also increases the number of guests a family can accommodate and allows guests to lock their rooms. The bill’s supporters say it will help families stay together and be able to collect extra income in order to meet increasing bills and mortgage rates. The bill is also meant to prevent foreclosures and outmigration from majority Black and Brown neighborhoods — situations that can also impact generational wealth, church membership and community stability.
The clergy signatories include Rev. Dr. Adolphus Lacey, Bethany Baptist Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant; Minister Javion Brown of Alliance Tabernacle Baptist Church, Flatbush; Rev. Dr. Alfred S. Cockfield, Battalion Ministries, East Flatbush; Dr. Mullery Jean-Pierre, Senior Pastor, Beraca Baptist Church, Canarsie; and Pastor James Clemons, Baptist Ministers Conference of Greater New York and Vicinity.
Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse, who represents several southeastern Brooklyn neighborhoods including Canarsie and Marine Park, is the bill’s main sponsor. Councilmember Farah N. Louis, who represents an area stretching from Kensington to Marine Park, is a co-sponsor.
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